Gretchen Johnson is the wife of the late actor, comedian, and TV host, Richard Dawson. She met the TV host in 1981 when she and her family appeared on an episode of the show.
She is not the first wife of the “Kissing Bandit”, as he has been previously married to English actress, Diana Dors, and divorced in 1967. Her marriage to Dawson is blessed with a daughter, Shannon Nicole Dawson.
10 Interesting Facts About Gretchen Johnson
1. The Celebrity wife is the Youngest of Three Children
Gretchen Johnson was born on September 22, 1955, in Manhattan Beach, California. She is the youngest daughter of Bob and June Johnson. Her siblings are Wendy and Heidi Johnson.
With her family, Gretchen participated in the family game show, Family Feud in 1981.
2. She met her husband, Richard Dawson on Family Feud
Gretchen met her husband, Richard Dawson, in 1981, on the family game show, when she and her family came on it as participants. Richard admitted to finding Gretchen attractive, which led him To ask for her number.
After they started talking, Richard asked her out for dinner, and he cooked a meal with asparagus for her. That marked the beginning of a lifelong romance. He later found out that she hated any food that started with the letter “A”, including asparagus.
3. Gretchen and her Husband have a Wide Age Difference
The celebrity couple had a wide age gap. Gretchen was 26 years old at the time she met her husband, 49-year-old husband, Richard. They have an age gap of 23 years.
However, the couple is not the only celebrity couple with a wide age difference as others like the actor, Dennis Quaid, and his wife, Laura Savoie have an age difference of 39 years. Another celebrity couple with a wide age difference is David Foster and his wife, Katherine Mcphee with a 34-year age gap, and Billy Joel and his wife Alexis Roderick, with an age difference of 33 years.
4. Gretchen Johnson Married her Husband a Decade after they met
After meeting in 1981 and going into a relationship, the couple remained together for 10 years, before getting married in 1991, in a private ceremony.
The news of their marriage remained private from their fans, as at the time, he was away from the media. The duo remained married until 2012 when Dawson passed away.
5. She was not the first wife of the TV Host
Gretchen Johnson is not the first wife of the Family Feud host, Richard Dawson. He got married to English actress Diana Dors on April 12, 1959, shortly after she lost her first husband, Dennis Hamilton.
They welcomed their first child Mark Dawson on February 4, 1960, and the second, Gary Dawson on June 27, 1962. Their marriage lasted for 8 years and the duo ended their relationship and eventually got a divorce in April 1967.
6. Her Husband, Richard Dawson was Originally from England
Born Colin Lionel Emm, Richard Dawson was born in Gosport, Hampshire, England on November 20, 1932, to Arthur Emm, a driver, and his wife, Josephine Lucy Emm, a factory worker.
He and his siblings were evacuated during the second world war. At the age of 14, he joined the British Merchant Navy, where he pursued a career in boxing.
He began his career as a stand-up comedian in England, and by the time he moved to America, he rose to become the host of several TV shows including the famous family TV show, Family Feud. He has also played minor roles in movies and TV series, some of which include How to Pick up Girls (1978) and Love, American Style (1971 and 1972)
7. She ended her Husband’s “Kissing Sprees”
Gretchen’s husband was known as the “Kissing Bandit” because of how he loved to kiss beautiful women who appeared on his show. Despite efforts from TV officials, Dawson refused to stop kissing women who came on the show.
Subsequently, he asked the viewers to vote, which they did, and the majority were in favor of him continuing his kissing spree. He revealed that he did it for luck and to calm nervous contestants. According to some sources, Dawson kissed over 20,000 women in the duration of his career as the Family Feud host.
In 1994, his daughter, Shannon drew up a contract that he would kiss her mother only, which he signed and promised to stop. Dawson later revealed he stopped his kissing spree out of respect for his wife.
8. Gretchen Johnson is a Mother of One
The 69-year-old is a mother of one. She welcomed her daughter, Shannon Nicole Dawson, with her husband, Richard Dawson. She was born on August 13, 1990, in Beverly Hills, California.
Shannon made her debut on the screens when she appeared on Family Feud, alongside her father. Shannon Dawson is the founder of the Richard Dawson Esophageal Cancer Research, which she started in honor of her father.
However, Gretchen is also a stepmother to Dawson’s two sons, Mark and Gary from his marriage with English actress, Diana Dors.
9. Her Husband was the First Family Feud Host
Richard Dawson, Gretchen Johnson’s husband was the first host of the family TV show, Family Feud after it was created in 1976. He started hosting the show after he left another show Match On. Dw went on to become one of the most popular and according to some sites, the best host the show had seen.
He hosted the show from 1976 to 1985, and then from 1994 to 1995.
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10. Gretchen Johnson Lost her Husband to Cancer
On June 2, 2012, Gretchen lost her husband, Richard Dawson to complications related to esophageal cancer. Dawson was said to have smoked about 4 packs of cigarettes daily, which explained how he developed the illness which took his life.
It was revealed by his son, that he was only diagnosed with the disease 3 weeks before his death. Dawson died at the age of 79.
Although statistics have shown that 50 percent of celebrity marriages end in divorce, Gretchen and her husband are part of the other 50 percent whose marriages are “Till death do us part”. Other celebrities who have died while still married to their spouse include American singer Etta James and her husband, Artis Mills, who were married for 43 years.
